Hyderabad: Petting cases extending the claws of compassion

Hyderabad: Like humans, animals also need blood donation to avoid health crises. Your dog could save the life of another furry friend. Las Carisias Import Pvt. Limited. Ltd., a company specializing in dog care, leads a unique non-profit initiative to create a community for dog blood donation. Founded by Bohbi Chauhan and Shivani Ohol in 2018, Pet Matters is a community of pet owners, medical partners, volunteers and donors to create awareness and create an ecosystem of happy coexistence between animals and humans. Despite the lack of animal blood banks in the city, the organization has been a leader in the organization and coordination of blood donations for dogs and cats, meeting the urgent needs of medical care of pets. Reflecting on a personal experience, Bohbi, who is also an animal behaviorist, shared an early struggle when her dog, Buddy, became ill. “It was my second day in the city and I didn’t know where to go for blood. Luckily the vet helped me. Ultimately it was decided to launch this initiative”, he said. To donate blood, dogs must be between one and six years old, weigh more than 15 kilograms, have all vaccinations and not have ticks. Like humans, dogs can also donate blood every three months. With 12 blood groups and 11 compatibility groups, any dog breed can serve as a blood donor for another. For cats, eligibility includes an age range of one to five years and a weight of more than three kilograms. The absence of blood banks for animals requires direct transfer from donor to receptor, says Shivani. “The donor dog is sent for medical control to the veterinary clinic to check compatibility. “Once confirmed, blood is drawn into blood bags or into large syringes and immediately transferred to the receptor,” he says. Shivani says, around 200 blood donations have been organized in the city in the last five years. The organization, which currently stands at around 90 donors, is striving to increase its community to 150 donors to meet the annual blood transfusion requirements of Hyderabad. Petting Matters strives to close the gaps in awareness and convince pet owners through education, outreach and ongoing coordination with veterinary hospitals and dispelling myths regarding blood donation. People who want to register their dog’s name in the list of donors can contact Shivani on 7330895424.